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Center for Independent Living Executive Director Theotis Braddy says the organization will underwrite an accessibility design course for Harrisburg Urban Studio students Theotis Braddy,
executive director of the Center for Independent
Living of Central Pennsylvania (CILCP), meets with
Hershey Philbin's Victoria Radabaugh prior to an
Urban Studio meeting. During the meeting, Braddy
announced that CILCP will underwrite an Urban
Studio accessibility design class for fall
2005. Braddy made the initial announcement at an Urban Studio architecture summit held at HACC on June 29, 2005. During the summit, representatives from Pennsylvania State University, HACC, Drexel University and Morgan State University (Baltimore) committed to have students work on various urban design projects assigned by the City of Harrisburg. "The Center for Independent Living supports the Harrisburg Urban Studio and the ideal of community-driven architecture," Braddy said. "As part of the community, people with disabilities certainly have specific needs to be able to access and use buildings. Community-driven architecture and the Harrisburg Urban Studio in particular provides a venue for addressing these needs in the design-build world." Specific details about the class have not yet been developed, however Braddy would like to see the course focus on building design that exceeds the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines. "We would like the course to provide students with hands-on experience in developing designs specific to accessibility issues," he said. "This type of experience will help ensure students are sensitive to the needs of the disability community as they begin their careers in architecture." The Harrisburg Urban Studio is an architecture education program started in 2004 by Harrisburg Mayor Stephen R. Reed. The Urban Studio is designed to have architecture students design and build projects to help improve disadvantaged communities. By working with city planners, a number of locations throughout Harrisburg have been identified as potential Urban Studio projects. According to Urban Studio Task Force Coordinator Robert Philbin, accessibility is one of the primary concerns of the program. "A city's built environment should be accessible to all people within the community, making accessibility a major feature in Urban Studio design projects," Philbin said. "CILCP will serve as an excellent resource when considering ADA guidelines, and the class they are underwriting fits in perfectly with the Urban Studio mission." At this point, Urban Studio classes are only designing potential structures. However, the Urban Studio Task Force, professional advisory committees and HACC are developing procedures so students can build the designs. The Urban Studio plan for the coming year is to expand this model and prioritize "real life" city projects and schedule design classes to address each project. Professional architects and engineers will work with the students to develop their designs. Subsequent classes would then actually build the works. According to Braddy, CILCP aims to stay involved with the program. "CILCP looks forward to continued support of the Urban Studio and working with the students to further their experience and understanding of architeture's impact on the community," Braddy said. The Harrisburg Urban Studio is modeled after Auburn University's famous Rural Studio, a program that provides architectural students with a practical learning experience while enhancing the environment of disadvantaged communities. The Urban Studio is a project of Mayor Stephen R. Reed's Harrisburg Urban Initiative. For more information visit www.nichenews.com/urbanstudio or contact Nathan Pigott, Hershey Philbin Associates, npigott@hersheyphilbin.com or 717-975-2148. The Center for Independent Living of Central Pennsylvania is a nonprofit, nonresidential organization established for and by people with disabilities and serves Cumberland, Dauphin, Perry, Mifflin, and Juniata counties. CILCP's vision is to empower people with disabilities to fully participate in all aspects of society. For more information on the CILCP visit www.cilcp.org or contact Nathan Pigott at 717-975-2148 or via email at npigott@hersheyphilbin.com. |
